George Marshall Moriarty, a partner at the Boston law firm of Ropes & Gray, has been appointed chairman of the board for Brigham and Women’s/Faulkner Hospitals, Inc. (BW/F) and will assume his new role on January 1, 2003.

Moriarty has served on BWH’s Board of Trustees since 1992 and replaces former chairman Michael Bell, who will officially step down December 31. Bell served as a member of the BWH Executive Committee and as a corporate member with Partners HealthCare for more than 10 years. Bell will remain an active board member.

“Marshall knows this institution well, and he has always brought to us remarkable leadership skills and passion,” said Gary Gottlieb, president, BWH. “As chairman, his vision and deep commitment to our mission and his extraordinary capabilities will allow us to build upon the hospital’s preeminent position as a world-class leader in health care.”

Moriarty is one of Ropes & Gray's top civil litigators, with over 20 years of experience at the firm. He has been admitted to the bar of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the U.S. Claims Court, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and the District of Columbia, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the Supreme Court of the United States.

Moriarty graduated from Harvard College, magna cum laude, and was also a Fulbright Scholar. He went on to graduate from Harvard Law School, where he was editor of the Harvard Law Review. He then worked for the United States Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare, and as a law clerk at the United States Supreme Court.

The new Chairman is also a member of the American and Boston bar associations and the American Law Institute. He is a former member of the Partners HealthCare Board of Trustees and currently serves as a member of the Partners Community Healthcare, Inc. board.

“I’m deeply honored to be named the board’s chairman,” said Moriarty. “Michael Bell has been an outstanding leader over the last few years. I hope to build upon his legacy and further the academic and medical missions of this incredible institution.”